Alex Rodriguez Stirs The Pot With Miguel Cabrera-To-Red Sox Hot Take
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Alex Rodriguez has transitioned surprisingly well from baseball to his new career as an analyst for Fox Sports. He's still a weirdo, but he's not terrible at this whole media thing. And he hit a major milestone over the weekend: his first hot take.
Granted, A-Rod probably didn't think the take through for even one full second, but deep thoughts have never been mandatory for hot take maestros. So over the weekend he decided to throw out an absolute scorcher: that Dave Dombrowski could make another blockbuster trade for Miguel Cabrera, this time bringing the future Hall of Fame slugger to the Red Sox.
"I would not be surprised - now this is just me, I'm not Ken Rosenthal, nobody is - but I would not be surprised to see Dave Dombrowski pull off a blockbuster and get Miguel Cabrera to the Red Sox," A-Rod said during the Fox pre-game show before Red Sox-Yankees on Saturday. Watch him expound upon the take below:
"I would not be surprised to see Dave Dombrowski pull off a blockbuster & get Miguel Cabrera to the Red Sox."- @AROD https://t.co/Ba9vCSVEr4
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 15, 2017
It's no secret that Dombrowski has sent a few scouts out and about to look at potential additions to play third base, preferably guys who can hit a little bit. The Red Sox are scouting players who would not require major assets to get in a trade. Todd Frazier appears to be the top target, but former Red Sox infielder Jed Lowrie and Padres third baseman Yangervis Solarte have also been mentioned.
Trading for Cabrera, on the other hand, would make virtually zero sense for Dombrowski at this juncture. First and foremost, he'd likely need to give up at least one premium prospect, like third baseman Rafael Devers or starter Jay Groome, which shouldn't even be an option right now.
He'd also be acquiring a Cabrera who is now 34 years old and is mired in the worst season since his rookie year in 2003. He's batting just .267 with 12 home runs and an .804 OPS - paltry numbers for Cabrera, who has a career OPS of .955. He's also been in and out of the Tigers lineup with multiple injuries throughout the season.
Even worse for Cabrera is his contract, which could be downright ugly in a few years' time. He's owed $30 million per season from 2018-21, followed by $32 million from 2022-23.
Dombrowski signed Cabrera as an international free agent in 1999 when he was GM of the Marlins. He also famously traded for Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis in 2007 as president of the Tigers, sending Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, and four other prospects to the Marlins. But Cabrera was in his prime at that time and not on the verge of breaking down, which is where he appears to be right now.
Dombrowski is an aggressive exec who isn't afraid to flip high-end prospects for elite talent, and he has certainly overpaid for players at times. But he's not that stupid.
Not once has Cabrera popped up as even a consideration for the Red Sox, but leave it to A-Rod to spit that take out there - and even kick-start some actual debates about it. Sparking discussions is the name of the game, after all, when it comes to hot-takers - everybody in sports media is guilty of it from time to time, if not all the time.
Congrats to A-Rod for finally joining the hot take community.
Matt Dolloff is a writer/producer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS, CBS Radio, or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @Dolloff985 and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.